Education

Research Interests

Dr. Snyder-Keller is a neuroscientist who uses primarily anatomical techniques to study the brain. The focus of the research in Dr. Snyder-Keller's laboratory has been on various aspects of the development and plasticity of the basal ganglia, regions of the brain involved in motor control. Both in vivo and in vitro techniques have been utilized to assess specific influences that control how the circuitry of the basal ganglia forms initially, and how it can be reestablished after injury or insult. Some of this work has involved examining how prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse, hypoxia, or inflammation (via maternal infection) can disrupt proper development of basal ganglia structures, and thereby increase susceptibility to the later development of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Most recently, Dr. Snyder-Keller has joined a team of researchers led by Dr. Valerie Bolivar, investigating the genetic basis of brain pathology and autistic-like behaviors in the BTBR T+ tf/J mouse. Using a variety of neuroanatomical tracing techniques, Dr. Snyder-Keller hopes to elucidate neural connectivity defects that are at the core of developmental disorders.

Dr. Snyder-Keller also serves as Director of the Histopathology Core, which provides histology services to Wadsworth Center researchers. She offers assistance with brain dissections, as well as guidance on histological and immunocytochemical staining techniques to other Wadsworth Center scientists.